Micromax, ambulance a mobile handset manufacturer has secured the title sponsorship for the ODI series between India and Sri Lanka starting on July 22, search which will now be called Micromax Cup 2012.

The series will feature five one-day matches and a Twenty20 International, to be played on August 7.

The official broadcast TV partner for the Micromax Cup will be Ten Cricket and Ten HD. Ten Cricket and Micromax have entered into an agreement for this.

Pratik Seal, Marketing Head Micromax Informatics Ltd, commented, “The idea behind any sponsorship is to connect with our customer beyond our products offerings and drive our saliency amongst them. Being a youth brand we have identified sports, movies and music as three main passion points for our target group.

“Micromax has always been closely associated with sponsoring cricket matches. We are proud to be associated with this game and are elated to continue our patronage and support for the game. Since this is the first match after the IPL, the series is expected to grab a lot of viewership,” he said in a release.

This follows Micromax title sponsoring the Asia Cup back in March.

Bayer 04 und Betfair starten als gemeinsame Partner in die neue Bundesliga-Saison. RudiVöller wird Betfair-Markenbotschafter für den neuen Premium-Partner.

„Wir sind sehr froh, die neue Partnerschaft zwischen Betfair und unserem Verein bekanntgeben zu können”, sagt Bayer 04-Geschäftsführer Wolfgang Holzhäuser. “Betfair istmit seiner Wettbörse und vier Millionen Kunden nicht nur einer der Weltmarktführer,sondern steht auch für Innovationskraft und Modernität. Die Wettbörse ist ein absolutesAlleinstellungsmerkmal in der Wettbranche, so wie wir als einzige Werkself der Bundesligaebenso einzigartig sind”, ergänzte Holzhäuser.

Die Partnerschaft ist zunächst auf zwei Jahre angelegt, mit einer Option für ein drittes Jahr.Beide Kooperationspartner setzen auf eine Partnerschaft zwischen Sport und Glücksspielauf Basis von Verantwortung und Zuverlässigkeit. Betfair besitzt bereits jetzt eine Lizenz inSchleswig-Holstein und unterliegt so besonders strengen Regulierungsauflagen.

Nach unseren Engagements beim FC Barcelona und Manchester United ist es fürBetfair ein besonderer Schritt, uns erstmals auch in der Bundesliga zu zeigen und zupositionieren. Sowohl Bayer 04 Leverkusen als auch Betfair stehen für Spitzenleistungenund Verbundenheit zu Fans und Kunden. Besonders froh sind wir, dass wir mit Rudi Völlereinen Markenbotschafter gewinnen konnten, der hohe Sympathiewerte mit unbestreitbarerKompetenz verbindet”, unterstrich Dr. Peter Reinhardt, Head of Central Europe von Betfair.

Das Sponsorenpaket umfasst neben Banden- und Stadionwerbung weitere umfangreicheWerbe- und Kommunikationsmaßnahmen. In deren Mittelpunkt steht Bayer 04 LeverkusensSportdirektor Rudi Völler als neuer Markenbotschafter von Betfair.

Chelsea FC has announced Delta Air Lines as the club’s official global airline partner.

The two-year deal sees the English Premier League side link with one of the world’s largest airlines, which flies 160 million passengers per year around 350 destinations in 65 countries.

Delta is already synonymous with sport in the United States, where it is the official airline of the New York Yankees baseball team, ice hockey’s Los Angeles Kings and American football’s Minnesota Vikings.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for Chelsea Football Club to partner ourselves with Delta Air Lines, an industry leader in aviation,’ said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay.

“Delta’s passion for innovation and first-class service around the world make them a perfect match for us and we look forward to working together as we continue to develop the Chelsea name across the globe.

“It further demonstrates our commitment to growing our activities in America, highlighted by our 2012 summer tour that will take in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia and Miami.”

The partnership also gives Delta an important London hub as they grow their transatlantic operations.

Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “We’re delighted to sponsor Chelsea FC, a top-flight London club with a fan base of millions throughout Delta’s worldwide network.

“Partnering with a leading club in the Premier League is an exciting way to strengthen our brand both in the UK and around the world.”

Italian Serie A Club Fiorentina have announced a new shirt sponsor from the 2012/13 season, with Spanish sports clothing manufacturer Joma.

Joma replaces Italian brand Lotto and the deal is for a three season period.

Club Executive Director Gian Luca Baiesi expressed his gratitude to Lotto Sport Italia who had been supporting the club for the past 7 years whilst then moving on to augur a bright future with JOMA, a young and ambitious brand which is gaining strenghts in Italian football.

Under the contract between the parties, in force since 1 July 2012, Joma Sport will sponsor the sport’s first team and youth teams of all ACF Fiorentina and become the exclusive supplier of the Company with regard to material on race , training and representation. addition to the technical Joma Sport produce, commercialize and distribute among its sales channels a wide range of both free time and sportswear for men, women and children. 

Joma Sport brand will spread the ACF Fiorentina in all 70 countries in which the Spanish company has business presence. This partnership represents the most prestigious brand operation carried out by the Spanish in Italy and involves the input ACF Fiorentina in the large group of teams sponsored by Joma Sport around the world.

The club also announced that the new shirts will be launched on July 11 in Piazza Della Signora, with the theme, Vestiamo il David.

Australian Rugby Union today announced a new two year partnership with independent international online betting monitoring company, Global Sports Integrity (GSI) – in a ground-breaking move for an Australian sport.

Based in London and Australia, GSI monitor the betting markets from over 100 bookmakers in the UK, Australia and around the world and will help to ensure the integrity of Rugby is maintained.

Over the next two years GSI will monitor sports betting websites for any irregular betting patterns on FxPro Super Rugby matches and Tests involving the Qantas Wallabies.

GSI will allow early intervention if suspicious betting trends are identified before a match – key to preventing any occurrences of match fixing or spot fixing.

Rugby will be the first sport in Australia to introduce external expertise to supplement the internal practices in place for the past two years since the appointment of former detective and Qantas Wallabies team manager, Phil Thomson as ARU Integrity Manager.

As part of his role as Integrity Manager Mr Thomson is responsible for managing ARU’s relationship with betting operators, considering proposed new bet types, and working with players to ensure they understand their responsibilities.

Mr Thomson said the partnership would help maintain Rugby’s integrity and provide the game with an additional layer of monitoring and protection.

“We already have agreements in place with almost 20 online betting operators in Australia who provide us with information on any suspicious betting patterns should they occur,” Mr Thomson said.

“While these agreements are good this new partnership with GSI will provide us with additional confidence that we are doing everything we can to uphold the integrity of the game.

“Knowing we have an independent body who will be maintaining a watchful eye provides further comfort that we are doing everything possible to avoid any issues.”

GSI Director, Mark Phillips, said GSI was pleased to be able to assist Rugby in supporting its strong stance on maintaining a high level of integrity in the game.

“We know how important maintaining the integrity of the game is especially for an international sport such as Rugby,” Mr Phillips said.

“That is why we are pleased to provide ARU with a comprehensive monitoring and investigative service to satisfy Rugby fans, partners, investors and the betting public that ARU is doing everything in its power to combat betting related corruption in Rugby.

“GSI will monitor and report unusual or suspicious betting patterns and will provide detailed expert witness statements for any subsequent court cases or disciplinary hearings.

“We will also provide a detailed weekly report on the betting market activity on the previous round’s Super Rugby matches and Test matches.”

The partnership, which will run until the end of 2013, began prior to the Qantas Wallabies opening Test against Scotland on Tuesday, 5 June.

GSI will monitor betting on all 15 of the Qantas Wallabies scheduled Tests in 2012, all remaining FxPro Super Rugby matches for 2012 and the entire 2013 season as well as the entire British and Irish Lions Tour and all Qantas Wallabies Tests scheduled next year.

The Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is looking for a new title sponsor after Christie’s withdrew their long-term partnership.

The world famous auctioneers have been sponsors at the Festival for the last 34 years but have opted not to extend their support after the end of their current three-year deal.

Peter McNeile, director of sponsorship at Cheltenham, said: “It has been a joy to have the support of such a well-known and successful brand for so long at The Festival.

“Christie’s has been an excellent partner for this iconic race, but we will now begin the process of talking to other interested parties and recruiting a new sponsor for a prize that has been in existence since 1904, some 20 years before the Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run.”

Respect Your Universe, Inc. (RYU) has announce that top UFC Bantamweight Fighter TJ Dillashaw has become an official RYU Warrior Athlete.

After recently representing RYU at the UFC on Fuel TV 1 Sanchez vs. Ellenberger on February 15 where he defeated Walel Watson in a unanimous decision, Dillishaw has now entered into a multi-fight brand representation deal with RYU.

Dillashaw, who improved his win-loss-draw record to 6-1-0, turned pro in 2010 and has two wins by submission and one by TKO. Up next, Dillashaw will face Vaughn Lee on July 11 at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman in a highly anticipated fight card.

“It is an honor to have TJ join the RYU family,” said RYU Brand Ambassador Rocky Bice. “TJ has so much in his arsenal, and we only got a taste of that back in February. He has strong stand-up and a sick ground game. Overall he is a very strong fighter that has really just begun his career.”

Dillashaw currently practices and spars with Team Alpha Male, including kickboxing sessions with Master Thonglor, and doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the evenings with Dustin Akbari. In addition to this, Dillashaw spends other training time wrestling and doing strength and conditioning at Results along with engaging in training with Mark Munoz at his gym, Reign, in Southern California. To round-off his training regimen, Dillashaw also does Muay Thai at Kings MMA.

“I’m pleased to join the RYU family and excited for what the future holds with us as a team,” said TJ Dillashaw. “The Quality of the gear is insane and I love the fact that it is green. The fight shorts are second to none and the detail of the rash guards are over the top!”

Dillashaw began training for MMA and working towards fighting for the UFC two years after he graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Dillashaw made this decision because he wanted to further pursue competing after his collegiate career of wrestling where he was a three-time NCAA Division I Championship qualifier and ranked as high as 10 in the wrestling rankings.

Inspired by the dedication of the athlete to the ancient sport of Martial Arts, RYU’s debut premium performance Men’s Spring Line embodies the art of the sport and places emphasis on respect, strength, honor and sustainability as the foundation of their apparel and products.

Saxo Bank, the trading and investment specialist, will stay with Riis Cycling in 2013.

In 2012 Saxo Bank has been the sole title sponsor of the professional cycling team. But from this year’s Tour de France throughout 2012 and 2013, Tinkoff Bank (also known as Tinkoff Credit Systems), the only Russian online bank, has decided to partner with Riis Cycling, and the three partners have agreed for Tinkoff Bank to become Co-Title sponsor.

Team owner Bjarne Riis commented: “This is indeed a great day and a proud moment for our cycling team, and I believe we now have a very strong setup for the future development of Riis Cycling and our team.”

“To continue with Saxo Bank as a main sponsor shows in words and action that together we have been able to build an extremely strong partnership based on the obvious benefits for both of us over the past five years. Today, to also be able to announce and warmly welcome Tinkoff Bank on board makes me even more proud. I’m honored to partner with two such highly professional and dedicated companies, who share a great passion for cycling, but also see commercial benefits in sponsoring our team.”  

In a joint statement, Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, co-CEO and co-founders of Saxo Bank, said: “It’s been important for Saxo Bank to share the sponsorship with a dedicated partner in 2013 and we are very happy that Tinkoff Bank is now our new Co-Title sponsor. This has made the decision to – once again – extend our sponsorship for another year simple.

“Saxo Bank has always believed it was a sound commercial decision to support this team and Oleg Tinkov has shared this view based on both his long term experience in cycling and as a great entrepreneur and successful business man. Bjarne Riis and his riders remain a huge inspiration and motivation for many young talents, and while Saxo Bank would like to support that, this sponsorship also gives its sponsors exposure all year long in markets that are vitally important to our business. For five years this sponsorship has proven a good investment and together with Tinkoff Bank, Saxo Bank is looking forward to celebrating great triumphs with Bjarne Riis and his team in 2012 and 2013.”

Owner of Tinkoff Bank, Oleg Tinkov, added: “We are proud to return to cycling and to be sponsoring this team and Bjarne Riis who is without a doubt the best manager in the cycling world. And we are delighted to be joining our co-sponsor Saxo Bank, one of the most highly regarded businesses in the world of online banking, and an excellent strategic fit for us – as a cutting edge, online bank ourselves that is leading the field in Russia. There are lots of synergies between Tinkoff Bank and Saxo Bank. We think that we have a similar DNA and are excited about working together and with the team.”

Going forward the name of the cycling team will be “Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank.”

Sharp has become the new joint title sponsor of Tour de France team Garmin-Sharp previously known as Garmin-Barracuda.

Barracuda will remain associated with the team.

As teams are only allowed to have two sponsor names, the team will officially be known as Garmin-Sharp. “Barracuda Networks will continue as an important co-title sponsor, and team materials and the website will refer to the team as Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda,” according to the team’s press release.

Sharp is a world-leading technology provider, offering a wide portfolio of business and lifestyle products in markets across the globe.

“In the year Sharp celebrates 100 years of creating unique technologies and products that bring genuine benefit to society, we are delighted to become Technology Partner to the most exciting team in one of the world’s most beautiful sports, which perfectly showcases the convergence of technological and human achievement,” said Paul Molyneux of Sharp Europe.

“Sharp shares our passion and commitment to the best innovations in technology,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. “We are incredibly excited to partner with them to together develop technologies that will help our riders do what they do every day, even better.”

In addition to the commercial possibilities for Sharp, this deal “also gives them access to some of the best athletes in the world to develop products for the future,” said Matt Johnson, president of Slipstream Sports.

The Cleveland Browns today announced a partnership with ARAMARK to provide premium dining services at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Together, allergy | the Browns and ARAMARK have launched Cleveland Browns Hospitality Group, a partnership designed to transform the premium dining experience at Cleveland Browns Stadium on game days and for non-game day special events. Cleveland Browns Hospitality Group will offer a unique culinary and hospitality experience for fans on the club and luxury suite levels of Cleveland Browns Stadium and to those who are enjoying catered events in the venue on non-game days.

The hallmark of Cleveland Browns Hospitality Group will be to combine Northeast Ohioans passion for football with food. As part of today’s announcement, the Browns and ARAMARK unveiled plans to feature award-winning concepts and favorite recipes from Cleveland’s own nationally renowned culinary stars and local restaurateurs Michael Symon, Rocco Whalen and Jonathon Sawyer.

Using culinary insights and leveraging existing working relationships with Symon, Whalen and Sawyer, ARAMARK will redesign the menu and upgrade dining amenities, highlighted by the distinctive tastes of Cleveland and its trendiest restaurants, to enhance the experience of club and suite guests and patrons. Cleveland Browns Hospitality Group will also oversee catering for special events during non-game days, including private and corporate events, weddings, proms and more.

“ARAMARK’s track record for innovation and outstanding service is second to none,” said Browns President Mike Holmgren. “We are particularly excited to have chefs Symon, Whalen and Sawyer become part of the experience at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Based on what our fans have told us, we believe these changes will be a big success.”

“We’re excited to partner with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland Browns Hospitality Group will further position Cleveland Browns Stadium as a premier destination on game days and for special events,” said Marc Bruno, President, ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment. “Our collaboration with this trio of acclaimed culinarians and the Cleveland Browns will make the stadium’s club and suites the place to be during Browns’ home games.”